Unofficially Yours

I envy those couple who liberally posts their sweet valentine pictures with their special someone and I hope the day would come that everything would be official and we could do the same.

We have been doing things as we please behind someone's back and we have been hurting him for sometime. I've been torn on what should be done, follow one's mind or follow the will of the heart ; now I know how a third party feels. It hard to enjoy and be happy when you know someone around the corner weeps.

Anyway, Im glad I made you feel special today. Surprising you over and over again pleases me. I am looking forward when everything is possible....that when we're official

Doha Food Festival 2012

After weeks of spending overtime at work, I need to refuel my happy hormones; and the best way to do it is eating good food!

I invited two of my friends who spoke the same language as mine to join me in breaking the monotony of our routines. Gladly, Laarni and Stepahnie were spontaneous enough to accompany me with my food triping...

We spent our night at the Doha Food festival where we got to taste cheap hotel dishes at a bargain price.  Foods are overflowing everywhere with different labels coming from different countries.

The place was packed with a lot of people, locals and expats-alike; and there is food for everyone. Though sold at a very cheap price, its presentation and hygiene weren't compromised. The table, chairs were decorated for a fine dinning experience. From 6pm to 11pm, were were just walking-eating-sitting-walking-eating. Our stomachs were filled too much, giving an impression that it wanted to explode.

Congratulations to the organizers of the DOHA FOOD FESTIVAL and to QATAR, you never failed to impress us.

 With a feeling of wanting more time to enjoy, my two friends were kind enough to let me experience how it is like to party in Qatar. They took me to Sheraton hotel and we danced the night away at the club to the beat of the music.

Just like anyone else, we grooved at the dance floor and let the music take control. 

It was a fun night for me and I am looking forward for more party nights with my friends.

Smoker me

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for their health but still almost everyone does it. I was always curious why a lot of people spends money to just burn it on cigars. I see people who smoke before as those who wants to claim a spot on a social hierarchy and that's me on a third person speaking.

Now, Im on the side of smokers. 

It started with a dare from a woman who says Im too much of a "good boy" and still acts as a boy. For a 23 year old, its not a good impression for me. So i started to spark a curiosity on smoking; to somehow ease out a bad boy aura. I asked my workmates to teach me how its properly done and one my first two sticks, I found it enjoyable and relaxing.....it is now that I understand why people loves to smoke.

Now, I found myself buying Marlboro lights from the supermarket, sitting on an outdoor coffee shop with a cigar on hand but I am not an addict. Yes I now its bad but believe me...it gives a mysterious relaxation to the mind and everytime I smoke I seem to meditate on many things. Its a mental activity for me.

Still, Im hiding it from my parents not that Im afraid of them but I don't want my mom to get disappointed on the fact that I am starting a bad vice.

thoughts

It has been a month and everything happens so fast. I love what I'm feeling and never thought we would come to this point. The situation might not be in our favor but with a lot of compromise, we still managed to express what we ought to.

Thank you for granting me our first lunch date and I am looking forward for more stolen moments with you. I limit my expectations and savor every moment I share with you ;)

2012 goals

Law of attraction tells us that we should think of the things we want to own or achieve. Usually, I do list my goals for the upcoming year and so far, almost all of them have been met before the year ends. Likewise, I would do the same thing this year. 

These are my goals for this year...

• Comply all the requirements for VISA SCREENING
• Travel/Visit to any country except Philippines and Qatar
• Weigh at least 70kg by December 2012
• Have a photo taken riding a Camel
• Obtain a Qatar-Driving License
• Buy a good camera

Goodbye 2011

2011 ended very fast. Everything happened so fast for me. Here are the highlights of 2011 for me:

January 2011 - I was so apprehensive on how I am going to tell my seniors and co-workers in Ramiro Hospital that I am planning to resign to seek for a better paying job in Qatar. After careful weighing of things, I submitted my resignation at the last week of January and was firm of that decision.

February 2011 - I made the most of my stay at Ramiro, I spent time with the people Im comfortable with, maintained the right attitude towards work. Though I know I would miss the laboratory and its staff, I know I need to spend more time with my parents in Qatar. Its all a matter of choice between my parents and them. My parents comes first without any hesitations.

March 2011 - I was gearing up for my departure. Secured all the needed documentation and spent my remaining days in the Philippines with good friends. I even invited my bestfriend Pong to Bohol for a week. On March 19 I left the Philippines and tried my luck in a new place - Qatar. On the same date, I found myself on a place so far from where I came from.

       March 26 - I was invited for a training program on Doha Clinic Hospital for a week as per
                          requirement for employment. Due to lack of experience in my field, they choose to turn
                          my application down. Though a bit depressed, I tried my luck applying in other medical
                          institution and my mom was with me all the time, giving me my needed strength and
                          optimism.

April 2011 - I received a call from the American Hospital, inviting me for an interview.After the interview,
                   I was assured that my application is accepted and they would process my papers to transfer
                   my visa sponsorship and would help me file for an application for medical licensing.

                   Mom began to complain about her leg pains and had difficulty in sleeping. I breaks my heart
                   to hear and see her suffer from such pain. All I could do is give her a massage which gave
                   her temporary relief.


May 2011 - I began working at the American Hosptal as a Laboratory Scientist and met new friends at the field. It helps to be surrounded with fellow Filipinos, the adjustment was easy.

Mom's leg pain continues and I continue to give her a leg massage just to put her to sleep. The doctor told us that she needs an operation to take her myoma which might be the reason for her extreme leg pains.

June 2011  - I get used and established my own routine at work. I started going out with friends and explored Qatar more and more.

July 2011  - I got my evaluation certificate for licensing. Experienced the extreme summer heat.

August 2011 - first Ramadan experience. I took the opportunity to take overtimes at work. Spent my birthday with Mom and Dad after so many years!

September 2011 - Mom was scheduled for an operation for her myoma. After the surgery, I wanted to hug my mom seeing her so weak. I am thankful for the successful operation. Mom never had those leg pain episodes anymore and had a very good night sleeps since then.

October 2011 - nothing special happened, purely work , work and work

November 2011 - Experienced EID celebration and went to Dukhan and had a beach party with Laarni. Its the beginning of the winter season.

December 2011 - Volunteered for the Arab Games, Interest in Astrology sparked after meeting a girl, Spent Christmas with my parents after a very long years of Christmas without them

This year was the year of my reunion with my parents. I wanted to spend time with them more and God granted it. I am looking forward for a more prosperous 2012. Cheers to good health and long life for all of us! 

Because Bim2x is going home..might be for good :(

Erilee Contreras, also known as Bim2x,  is one of the few pure-hearted person I've ever met. Her pureness, kindness and happiness exudes in her personality. She walks with a very light and positive aura and everyone seems to like her for simply being her.

It saddens me a lot knowing that she is leaving Doha for emergency reasons and might stay in the Philippines for good. We would miss her a lot but we understand why she had come up with such decisions.

Here are the points I would miss about her and would want it to immortalize in my life blog:

1. Eating Lays with her during our night shifts
2. Hearing her voice talking too much about her budding lovelives..yes...in plural form
3. Making coffee or tea to keep us awake during duty
4. Cracking jokes and laughing with her
5. Talking with her with almost everything
6. Her positive aura that brightens up each one's day
7. She may be childish at times but the child in her makes her a good company.

I really feel sorry for the fact that her Dad is suffering from liver cirrhosis and have been predicted by doctors that his body would give-up on him in a few months. I wished I could ease her pain but all I can do is pray. I really hope that she would remain strong after all these trials. A kind person like her deserves to be happy.

Good luck and God Bless Bim! I really wish you all the best. I would help you in praying for your Dad. See you soon..

ARAB GAMES Thanksgiving

Against all the odds, I managed to attend the thanksgiving party for the Arab Games Volunteers.

REACHING THE AREA

Reaching the venue of the party could be very tiresome and costly for me. But with the help of some friends and friend's connection, I was able to reach the Athletes' village at Wakra with ease. Originally, I planned to join my workmates by hitching a ride from one of our seniors in the hospital though instincts barred me for doing so with confidential reasons for me to keep.

Luckily, Ate Fatima's husband named "Wawa" needs company as much as I do. A day before, She called me and offered me to go with Wawa so that I could have a transport going to the secluded venue. Though with hesitations of going with someone I never talked nor introduced to me, I agreed to do so hoping that my "sociable self" would took over me.

THE PARTY ITSELF

The party was boring to be frank and it started late as scheduled. We were patiently waiting for the programme's commencement on a chilly field. I was lucky to grab a coffee with me to keep me warm for an hour.

The people were disappointed with the way the fellowship was managed. But to be fair, they served good food and it seems to be flowing everywhere. There were a lot of food and drinks for everyone. Qatar is a generous host indeed. 

All of us were expecting for a generous gift voucher from the organizers but it never came to us.

BRING UP MY SELF
Surrounded with relatively strangers, I was able to carry myself well and deal with the situation with spontaneity and I am proud of that.

Gifts for Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

2011 ended very fast for me... It seems it was just a month ago that I attended the Christmas party in Ramiro Hospital with heavy thoughts of resigning; thinking that it would be my last party with them. 

Christmas in Qatar are no more than any other days in the calendar. Its my first time to experience a silent christmas with no excitement even a bit at all.  Most of us Filipinos just cooked a few foods and let the day pass by just like other days. 

This year, I am able to give my parents a gift for Christmas for the very first time and they were happy about it. For mom, I bought her Calvin Klein's Euphoria while for my dad, I gave him a Tommy Nash's polo shirt which might be very useful for his work.

I remember my mom a few months ago, who wishes to buy a new scent at Debenhams but after checking on their prices, she put them back on their shelves and decided to defer her wants and allocated the supposedly amount for what is really needed.

These gifts might be the start of giving back to my parents after all their sacrifices for me and my siblings. The tables were turned this time, they become the receiver and I am the giver. I am happy to be able to afford these for them.

This Christmas, I never received anything but its okey for me. Their simple smiles and "thank you" are more than enough for me.

CK euphoria for mom

Tommy Nash Polo Shirt for Dad

Remembering Mocha's lonesome days

"Man's need to socialize is true to all creature"

We've got our first high-bred dog in year 2005. My brother named her "mocha" for reasons only he knows. She was the only pet we had at that time and spent all her life outside the house. I feel how she might have felt being alone all the time  with no one to talk to, sleep with and respond to her all the time.

She was 3 months old (March 2005) when my dad bought her from the pet shop. During her first 3 months with us, she was well pampered and received much attention from me and my brother Jake. I was about to graduate from high school while Jake, having his summer vacation, is about to be in his second year in college in Silliman University. Over the summer, all we do is play,cuddle and give her morning baths which she obviously hates. Mocha surely  felt loved by the two of us. 

Mocha is very active and loves to run all the time. She enjoys being chased off and snatching some clothes. She patiently waits for our return with a cute grin whenever we go out of the house. Despite of her "fierce-look" and humongous body built, she is very sweet and gentle. She is very smart and knows when not to mess with her masters. She has her own style of catching our attention; craves to be patted on her forehead and to be touched on her neck. She rattles and run around when one of us would grab her chains giving her a hint that its time for a good walk!

By June 2005, me and Jake have to leave home to attend school in a separate island. Both of us realized what might be her plight with neither of us around. One morning, when me and my brother went out the house with our travel bags, mocha sniffed them through out of her curiosity. We cuddled her for the last time and said our "goodbyes" in our own language which surely mocha didn't understand. She might think that we'll be gone for just a few hours and could see us again by night time- and that all she should do is to wait on the end of the gate for our return. I could really picture her out doing that!

While me and Jake focused on our studies in the University, we have no idea how was mocha doing at home. She might have waited for us for a long time at the gate for our return during the day we left and wondered where have we been and what took us so long. She might felt lonely at some point with no one to play with her and cuddle her the way we do. All we could do is to hope for the best for her.

At the end of the semester, I decided to take my break at home while Jake choose to stay in our dormitory. As I am nearing our gate, I could hear and see mocha barking-rattling happily and appears to be so excited. I was glad she knows who I was after our long time of separation. She hurriedly jumps at me and snatched a lick on my cheek. It might be her way of saying that she missed me. As expected, I spent quality times with her during my stay. By the end of my semestral break, I have to leave her again alone and the same scenario happened with the first time we left her and this continued until I graduated from college and got my degree.

A year after I passed the board examination, I decided to work at my hometown which gave me more time with Mocha, (40 years old in dog years). Though I was with her at home, I struggled give her much attention since my work was so tough on my schedule. I worked 12 hours a day and left me tired and wanting to rest the moment I arrived home. 

Mocha's loneliness radiates on the way she acts as I secretly peeked on her on some random nights and days. To alleviate her feeling of loneliness, I convinced my parents that we need more dogs to guard the house as well as give mocha company which i failed in doing so. 

Now enters "Gabby", a german shepherd, a same breed as mocha. At first mocha was so cruel towards gabby and seemingly liked to kill the poor puppy. After a week, she might have accepted Gabby and appears to treat him as her own son.They played around all the time and I could see how happy Mocha was with Gabby around. Gabby gave Mocha another reason to live. Though she is relatively old, she tries to play with gabby and spoil his childish acts. Imagine a 40 year old woman playing with a 7 year old kid.

Man's need to socialize is also true to all species. It would be impossible for any creature to be happy alone. They might survive for survival's sake, but the soul dies within.